A masterful piece of filmmaking that it was already there in the script!

Once again a great script proves to be the solid foundation on which a memorable award-worthy film can be made.

This screenplay is about one of the last taboos – sex addiction and at its heart is a character that is truly tortured and haunted 24x7 by his addiction. In this instance it happens to be sex, but it is a blueprint that could be about any kind of fatal flaw. This is a powerful heart-wrenching human story. Here’s a couple of reasons why I think it is so good -

Character, Character, Character.

The protagonist, BRANDON, is so well depicted we could easily guess what brand aftershave he would wear! We get to see him, really see him and therefore know and empathise with his fatal flaw – his sex addiction. He features in every scene in the film! All too often writers get distracted by subplots and minor characters thinking they need them to create a convincing story world! No you don’t. Make your protagonist real and his/ her world will become real! Keep them centre stage of your story after all that is who the audience is there to watch, they want to see a journey unfold. Read through you script, how many pages does your protagonist feature? He / she should be there in nearly all of them!

Keeping your protagonist at the core of your story will also help you with pace and structure. Be ruthless, if there is a scene without them in it – ask yourself is it necessary? How is it helping the story to progress? Think of character like a homing device, character and story should never be too far apart, one needs to be integrally attached to the other in order to work.

Conflict –

Why do we read books or go to the cinema – escapism – right? We want to escape our ordinary and fairly dull world and watch or read about someone else that is being pushed to the edge of their limits. We want to see someone struggle internally and externally on the screen! In SHAME Brandon’s internal struggle is externalized with the arrival of his kid sister SISSY. There are scenes between theses two that have him within a single straw of breaking point – this is what we have paid our money to see. So ask yourself what is it that my protagonist is trying to overcome and how difficult can I make it for him or her to do so. This will ensure you are taking your audience on an emotional rollercoaster of a journey and one that they will thank you for when the credits roll!